diff --git a/config/config.go b/config/config.go
index f7964ac..e499bdb 100644
--- a/config/config.go
+++ b/config/config.go
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	ExpireTilesZoom     int             `json:"expiretiles_zoom"`
 	ReplicationUrl      string          `json:"replication_url"`
 	ReplicationInterval MinutesInterval `json:"replication_interval"`
+	DiffStateBefore     MinutesInterval `json:"diff_state_before"`
 }
 
 type Schemas struct {
@@ -57,6 +58,7 @@ type _BaseOptions struct {
 	ExpireTilesZoom     int
 	ReplicationUrl      string
 	ReplicationInterval time.Duration
+	DiffStateBefore     time.Duration
 }
 
 func (o *_BaseOptions) updateFromConfig() error {
@@ -140,6 +142,10 @@ func (o *_BaseOptions) updateFromConfig() error {
 			o.DiffDir = conf.DiffDir
 		}
 	}
+
+	if conf.DiffStateBefore.Duration != 0 && o.DiffStateBefore == 2*time.Hour {
+		o.DiffStateBefore = conf.DiffStateBefore.Duration
+	}
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -164,7 +170,6 @@ type _ImportOptions struct {
 	DeployProduction bool
 	RevertDeploy     bool
 	RemoveBackup     bool
-	DiffStateBefore  time.Duration
 }
 
 var BaseOptions = _BaseOptions{}
@@ -221,7 +226,7 @@ func init() {
 	ImportFlags.BoolVar(&ImportOptions.DeployProduction, "deployproduction", false, "deploy production")
 	ImportFlags.BoolVar(&ImportOptions.RevertDeploy, "revertdeploy", false, "revert deploy to production")
 	ImportFlags.BoolVar(&ImportOptions.RemoveBackup, "removebackup", false, "remove backups from deploy")
-	ImportFlags.DurationVar(&ImportOptions.DiffStateBefore, "diff-state-before", 2*time.Hour, "set initial diff sequence before")
+	ImportFlags.DurationVar(&BaseOptions.DiffStateBefore, "diff-state-before", 2*time.Hour, "set initial diff sequence before")
 
 	DiffFlags.StringVar(&BaseOptions.ExpireTilesDir, "expiretiles-dir", "", "write expire tiles into dir")
 	DiffFlags.IntVar(&BaseOptions.ExpireTilesZoom, "expiretiles-zoom", 14, "write expire tiles in this zoom level")
diff --git a/import_/import.go b/import_/import.go
index b340135..00ee923 100644
--- a/import_/import.go
+++ b/import_/import.go
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ func Import() {
 		osmCache.Close()
 		log.StopStep(step)
 		if config.ImportOptions.Diff {
-			diffstate, err := state.FromPbf(config.ImportOptions.Read, config.ImportOptions.DiffStateBefore)
+			diffstate, err := state.FromPbf(config.ImportOptions.Read, config.BaseOptions.DiffStateBefore)
 			if err != nil {
 				log.Print("error parsing diff state form PBF", err)
 			} else if diffstate != nil {